1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to navigating visual data, and more specifically relates to a system and method for providing an enhanced mouse pointer for navigating a topology.
2. Related Art
The ability to graphically visualize and navigate vast amounts of data (referred to herein as a “topology”) on a computer display has become an indispensable tool in many different applications. Common applications involve 2D/3D topological displays, treemap displays, hyperbolic tree displays, physical maps (e.g., such as that provided by MAPQUEST® and GPS map displays), etc. Most current applications that provide data visualization offer various features to help with navigation. Such features include the ability to zoom in and out, to pan around the information being visualized, etc.
One of the challenges with navigating data within these applications is that it can be difficult for a user to maintain his or her bearings. Namely, as the user pans from one location to another and zooms in and out, it can become challenging to fully comprehend the data being visualized. This is especially true when the user is traversing a path or series of paths within a topological view or a map. Also, when a user has arrived at a specific location within a topology, the user is forced to re-establish context by either panning in a direction from the current view or zooming-out of the current view to determine the next location to traverse to.
Current applications provide no indication or visual marker for the user to follow as a guide to help determine the next possible location that might be of interest to the user. In addition, when maneuvering across a topology for a specific purpose, the user is not presented with any visual context or indication of how far or close the next destination is within a specified range. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved system and method for navigating topologies.